Routine Patrol
by JP McClendon
Summary: Just a normal day in the life of the pilots in Delta Wing. Complete. Please R&R!!!


**Author's note: **The Wing Commander universe and everyone in it is owned by Origins. I own only those characters that are created for this story. Have a nice day!

**Routine Patrol**

Tommy woke up that morning with a slight hangover from the previous night's carousing in Pilot Country. With a bit of difficulty, he managed to pull himself out of bed and stagger to the head. A few other space jocks were in there ahead of him, waiting to use the showers. He decided to skip the shower and headed directly for the sink. He turned the water on full and shoved his head under the faucet.

Jane was finishing up in the mess hall and getting ready to report for duty. Breakfast that morning was unspectacular as always. She refilled her coffee cup and headed for the doorway. She saluted the Wing Commander while simultaneously sipping her coffee.

Martin was working on his Panther with the Maintenance chief. He had been up all night helping get a few of the fighters back together and back on the flight line. With a grunt, he stood up and arched his back. He desperately needed a shower and a cup of coffee before he had to report for duty.

Tommy pulled his head out from under the faucet. He shook himself off and grabbed a tube of toothpaste. Unceremoniously, he squirted a healthy glob of toothpaste onto his tongue and began working it around in his mouth. Then he spit out the excess, gargled with water, wiped his mouth, and walked out back to his bunk.

Jane had gone to the briefing room to await the start of her shift. She sat down in her usual chair and picked up a message pad. Silently, she began to write a letter to her husband back at Earth Central.

Martin rushed back to his bunk and grabbed a clean flightsuit. He had only 15 minutes before his shift was to begin. Upon seeing the backup of people waiting for the showers, his shoulders slumped and he headed back to his bunk. He grabbed his deodorant and liberally sprayed any areas where he smelled. Then he quickly changed and headed to the mess hall to get a cup of coffee.

Tommy arrived about 5 minutes before the start of his shift. He saw Jane sitting composing a letter. "Hello," he said quietly so as not to disturb her too much. He climbed to the top row and sat down to wait for the day's briefing.

Jane was in the middle of a paragraph when Tommy walked in and said hello to her. She waved a hand to acknowledge him and didn't look up from her pad. She wasn't trying to be rude to him, she was just busy. She desperately wanted to finish her letter before her shift began.

Martin had about two minutes before his shift was to begin. He went around the line and got his cup of coffee. A few people gave him dirty looks as he jogged out the door towards the briefing room.

Pilots began to filter in and sit in their assigned seating areas. Most of them were not happy being on the morning shift, but there was very little they could do about it at this point. The CAG walked in with his lieutenant. They talked briefly at the speaking podium while waiting for everyone to arrive. After a few more minutes the CAG looked around to see if everyone was present and accounted for. When he was satisfied that everyone was present, he gave the order to be seated. "Okay, people," he said in a gruff voice. "Check your ICIS for your mission objectives."

Tommy, Jane, and Martin all looked at their consoles. The voice of the ICIS began, "Your Delta Wing will fly a routine patrol route on this set of NAV points. Your objective is to fly to each patrol area and eliminate any hostile enemies you may encounter there. Once you have finished your sweep of the area return to the _Nauru_. End of Briefing." Each pilot looked up to where the CAG was waiting patiently for everyone to be finished.

"If there are no questions," he said. "Then you are all dismissed."

All the pilots got up and stood at attention as the CAG and his lieutenant departed. Once he was gone, they set about to their assigned tasks. Tommy, Jane, and Martin headed for the flight deck and discovered that they were to fly on each other's wing for this outing.

"How'd I get stuck with you on this one?" said Martin grabbing Tommy in a headlock and giving him a noogie.

"You stuck with me?" said Tommy. "More like me stuck with you."

"Or perhaps me stuck with the two of you," Jane said with a smile. Martin let go of Tommy and the three of them walked side-by-side to their fighters. They had the use of Panthers for this mission. Tommy smiled, as he rarely got to use anything heavier than a Piranha.

They zipped up their flightsuits and grabbed their helmets. Once seated they began their preflight sequence. Silently, the canopy hatches to their fighters began to close. After about another minute they were ready to go. Tommy turned on his COMM and spoke, "This is Tailgunner, requesting permission to disembark."

The flight tower COMM hissed for a moment. "Permission granted, Tailgunner," said the voice of the flight officer. With that the grappling crane came down and hooked squarely to the top of his Panther. Tommy could feel it as his Panther was lifted from the deck and carried to the drop bay.

Jane had finished with the last of her preflight checks. She turned on her COMM and said, "This is Elf, requesting permission for liftoff."

The flight tower COMM crackled again and the voice of the flight officer once again came over the COMM, "Permission granted, Elf." The grappling crane once again swung over and lowered down to secure itself to the Panther. Then it picked up the fighter and its pilot and carried it towards the drop bay.

Martin was twiddling his thumbs, waiting for his turn to be picked up. When at last there was a free drop crane, he turned on his COMM and said, "This is Heart, is it my turn yet?"

The flight officer's voice came over the COMM, "You bet'cha, Heart. Sorry 'bout the wait."

Martin got a smile on his face. "That's okay," he said in his best mocking-authoritative tone. "Just don't do it again."

The flight officer smiled as well. "Have a safe flight," he said.

The crane came over and attached to Martin's Panther and hoisted him into the air. With careful movements, it brought him to the drop bay and let him go right into the launch track. Slowly, ever so slowly, his Panther crept towards down the track. It paused for a brief moment, and then slingshot him out at top throttle into the night sky. Tommy and Jane flew over and formed up on Martin's wing.

"How we doing, folks?" asked Martin.

"Picture perfect, Heart," said Jane.

"100% a-okay," said Tommy.

They did a flyby of the _Nauru_ once. "_Nauru_," said Martin. "This is Delta Leader. Permission to get underway?"

"Permission granted, Delta Leader," came the voice of the flight officer. "We'll keep the lights on for you."

"Okay," said Martin. "Let's hit the auto-pilot and get going."

"Roger that, Delta Leader," said Tommy.

"Affirmative, Delta Leader," said Jane.

They all engaged their autopilots are headed for the first NAV point. Tommy did his best to get comfortable as he was going to be in this position for a few hours. Jane sat motionless in her cockpit. Martin was looking all over the place, making sure that nothing was out of sorts.

* * *

"So I hear that your husband is about to make full Colonel," Tommy said to Jane.

"Yes," said Jane. "And he's getting transferred home to Earth."

"Any chance you'll be going with him?" asked Martin, entering the conversation.

"We've talked about it," answered Jane. "But nothing is a definite yet. Though I think it would be nice to see blue skies for a change instead of starry black."

"Amen to that," agreed Martin.

"You'd get bored quickly on Earth," said Tommy. "No Bugs to fight."

"You think that that's all there is to life, Tommy?" asked Jane.

"Well it's the driving force behind my existence," replied Tommy.

"That and the new first Louie in Diamondback Squadron," added Martin.

"Yeah," said Tommy. "Well that too."

They reached the first NAV point and there was no sign of Bugs. Silently they all breathed a sigh of relief and programmed their NAV computers to head for the next NAV point. When they were ready, they engaged their autopilots again and headed off.

* * *

"So how did a flight jockey like you meet a colonel in Command?" asked Tommy.

"She has class, Tommy," said Martin. "You know, class? That which you lack."

"FUN-ny!" said Tommy.

"I thought so," added Jane. "We're getting close to the NAV point, Heart."

"Acknowledged, Elf," said Martin.

They all entered the NAV area and it was swarming with Bugs. "Crap," said Tommy. "So much for the quiet patrol."

"This is Delta Leader to TCS _Nauru_," said Martin. "We have Bug contact at NAV point two. Engaging enemy."

"Acknowledged, Delta Leader," responded the COMM officer of the _Nauru_.

"Elf," continued Martin. "You're free and clear to engage. Tailgunner, stick with me."

"Acknowledged, Delta Leader," said Jane. "Engaging enemy."

"This is Tailgunner," said Tommy. "I hear and I obey."

Jane did a barrel roll and broke formation. Tommy and Martin continued straight ahead and headed for a fighter cluster. Bug fighters buzzed all around. Jane targeted the closest bug to her and moved to engage. It was a Moray. It zoomed passed her and she had to turn about quickly to give chase. She matched its speed and began to line it up in her sights. When she had a clear shot she opened fire. The Moray's shields lit up from the laser fire.

"You see your DOOM!" shouted the bug.

"See this," said Jane. "Fox ONE!" she pushed a button on her flight stick and launched a missile. It sped towards the Moray and impacted hard against its port side. It turned about and charged her with its lasers on full spread. Jane's shield's lit up for a moment and she turned away.

"Elf?" asked Martin. "You okay?"

"Still sitting pretty," replied Jane.

Tommy flew ahead of Martin and opened fire on the starboard side of a Manta with his full guns. The Manta's shields showed signs of weakening, but the Manta itself seemed unbothered by the assault. It merely opened fire on Tommy's Panther and he had to dodge to avoid being destroyed. Martin meanwhile opened fire with his guns and further damaged the side of the Manta. It responded by locking a missile on him and firing back. Martin turned away and launched two decoys very quickly. Fortunately, the missile took the bait. Tommy had swung about and launched a missile at the damaged side of the Manta. It shook very briefly then exploded. "Nice work, Tailgunner," said Martin.

"You're all heart, Heart," said Tommy.

Jane fired on her target and lit him up again. She was trying to remain patient with this Moray, but it was being a pest. His port and aft sides were severely damaged and she did not want to waste a missile on a target that was already so badly off. He turned again and she had a clear line of fire. Her guns opened up and the Moray was dust. "One down," she said. "Too many to go."

"Problem, Elf?" asked Tommy.

"Not at the moment, Tailgunner," she responded.

Martin locked onto a Squid and fired. The Squid took minimal damage and buzzed passed him at a very close distance. "Damn kamikaze Bug," he spat over the COMM. He turned about to pursue. The bug, meanwhile, had turned about and Martin got a whole lot of laser fire right to his bow. "Tailgunner, help me out with this Squid!"

"Affirmative, Heart," said Tommy. He swung in and launched a missile right at the Squid. The Squid launched a decoy, but the missile didn't take the bait. The missile impacted the aft of the Squid and the death hisses of the bug could be heard.

"I owe you one, Tailgunner," said Martin.

"Think nothing of it, Heart," replied Tommy.

Jane got behind a Moray and opened fire. It seemed confused and didn't move to evade. Jane just continued firing until the Moray exploded. "That was way too easy!" she said.

"Better easy than hard, Elf," Martin said to her.

Tommy was running down the last Bug. He fired sporadically to keep it moving. "Whenever you're ready, Heart," he signaled to Martin.

Martin took careful aim with his missile. When he had a lock, he fired. The bug was trapped and the missile hit it hard. Tommy took the opportunity and finished it off with a lot of laser fire. "That's the last of 'em," he said.

"How we all doing?" asked Martin.

"Still sitting pretty," said Jane.

"Not a thing wrong," said Tommy.

"Good," said Martin. "Let's engage our autopilots and get out of here." The three ships formed up and zoomed towards their next NAV point.

* * *

"Okay," said Tommy. "I got one for ya! There's these three guys, and they're all going to the bathroom. One guy, he's done. The second, he's racing to get into the bathroom. And the last guy, he's using the bathroom. What's their nationality?"

"Enlighten us," said Jane.

"This better not suck," warned Martin.

"Well the first guy," began Tommy. "He's Finnish. The second guy is Russian. And the last guy's European!"

There was a loud groan from the other two pilots. "One more like that," said Martin. "And you'll be on permanent radio silence."

The three pilots reached the third NAV point. Luck was with them as there were again no Bugs.

"Nothing here," said Martin. "Let's move on."

"Affirmative, Heart," said Jane.

"Roger that, Heart," said Tommy.

One more time, they programmed their NAV computers and headed for their fourth and final NAV point.

* * *

"Greaaaat!" said Tommy when they arrived. "More Buggies to squash!"

"Delta Leader to _Nauru_," said Martin. "We have more Bug contact at NAV point four."

"Acknowledged, Delta Leader," said the COMM officer of the _Nauru_ once again.

"Break and attack" ordered Martin.

"Roger," replied Tommy who turned and rolled out of formation.

"Affirmative," said Jane who hit her afterburners and charged ahead.

Three Lampreys fired at Martin. He did a barrel roll and a dive to avoid most of their fire, but his aft starboard was badly damaged. He looked at his damage readout. His afterburners were hit and down to 75%, his engines were down to 70%, and his core was down to 85%. The auto-repair got going and the damage to his afterburners and engines were beginning to drop.

Tommy was pursuing a Moray when a missile lock went off. He quickly deployed a decoy, but the alarm continued. He deployed another decoy and then his whole Panther shook violently. "Shit!" he shouted. "I'm hit!" He surveyed his damage. His engines and afterburners were down to 65%, his core was at 70%.

Jane flew in and targeted one of the Lampreys. Her missile lock engaged and she blew the Lamprey out of the sky. The two remaining Lamprey's scattered and regrouped. "Heart?" Jane asked. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy, Elf," said Martin. "Thanks for asking."

Tommy flew at a Moray and opened fire. The Moray started evasive maneuvers. It hissed loudly with hate. Tommy just smiled and continued firing. The Moray exploded after sitting there for a second. "And your MOTHER, too!" he shouted to the Bugs.

Martin finally was able to reengage. He targeted one of the two remaining Lampreys and opened fire with his full guns. The Lamprey zoomed this way and that. It tried to turn to face him so that it could return fire, but by the time it was in proper position it was too badly damaged and exploded. The remaining Lamprey opened fire on him again and the sounds of its laser fire could be heard reverberating against his hull. Martin turned about to try and return fire. Jane fired upon the Lamprey to try and give Martin more room to breathe. The Lamprey broke off its attack long enough for Martin to get into a firing position. He retaliated with a missile and the Lamprey was dust. Checking his damage readout, Martin didn't like what he saw. His guns were at 85%, his shields were down to 15%, his engines and afterburners were at 35% apiece, and his core was at 45%. "Not doing very good," he said to the others.

"Still better than the bugs," replied Tommy.

"Only two left," said Jane.

"Elf," said Martin. "Stay very close. If I can get her home, I will."

"Understood, Heart," said Jane.

Tommy maneuvered to intercept the one Moray that was left. Martin and Jane moved to fight off the Manta. Tommy tried locking on a missile to end the confrontation quickly, but it evaded and his missile just flew off into the night. Both Jane and Martin were going for a missile lock as well, thinking the same way as Tommy. Martin's missile hit the Manta full on, while Jane's was shot down by laser fire. The Manta locked on a missile and fired at Martin. He dodged and dropped four decoys in a big hurry. He let out an audible sigh of relief when the missile was distracted. Jane opened fire to get the Manta away from Martin. It rocked violently as shot after shot of laser fire hit it. Martin joined in on the firing, and together they destroyed the Manta. Tommy fired one more missile and this time it hit home. The Moray cursed at him and was blown apart by laser fire from Tommy's guns.

All the bugs on the NAV route were destroyed. Each of them breathed heavily under their helmets. "We're done, guys," said Martin. "Form up and let's get the Hell out of here."

"Amen to that," said Jane.

"I heard that," said Tommy.

The three Panthers formed up and programmed their NAV computers. Once set, they hit their autopilots and headed back to the _Nauru_.

* * *

There was dead silence from all three of them until they were within visual range of the _Nauru_. They loosened their formation and Martin signaled the flight tower. "This is Delta Wing," he began. "Requesting permission to come on home."

The COMM hissed for a moment. Then the flight officer responded. "Permission granted, Delta Wing," he said. "Glad to see you all made it home."

"Home has never looked as good as it does right now," said Tommy.

The Panthers lined up and flew in single-file to the landing bay. Martin held his breath until touchdown. Once he was safely on the deck he let out a great big sigh of relief. His canopy opened and he climbed down the ladder from his cockpit. Tommy and Jane met up with him shortly and the three of them went to the debriefing panel to officially conclude their patrol. Each typed in their call signs and got their statistics for the mission. A smile crept over their faces and they entered the lift to decontamination. As the lift door closed, Tommy turned to the others and said, "See you both back here tomorrow to do this all over again?"

Jane just smiled and pulled out her pad to finish her letter to her husband. Martin grinned and said, "I wouldn't miss tomorrow's patrol for the whole world."

**End**


End file.
